“Protecting the living”

Construction workers, activists and campaigners gathered at the Building Worker statue on Tower Hill yesterday (28 April) for Unites annual International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) commemoration.

Though workplace safety was the focus of the event, the importance of supporting mental health at work was raised again and again.

Unite Regional Officer Mark Soave started the commemorations and introduced Trevor Simpson, Unite Convenor at the Canary Wharf development in London’s Docklands.

Trevor reminded the crowd about why they gather every year, saying, “We are here today with heavy hearts, united in our shared respect for the thirty five individuals who tragically lost their lives to construction last year.

“Behind these numbers are real people. Friends, family members, and colleagues whose absence is felt deeply by those who knew them.”

Trevor went onto highlight the appalling figures for suicide in an indutry where “more than 7,000 workers have lost their lives to suicide” in the past decade, adding that, while there must always be a focus on improving safety standards on construction sites, “we must also recognise that the risks facing our workforce are not solely physical.”

Trevor said, “We need to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health. Education is key, and we must demonstrate that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

“We must stand up, shoulder to shoulder, to protect one another and to guide those in need towards the assistance that can make a difference. If we do nothing then we will find ourselves here again, year after year, mourning more friends and colleagues lost forever.

“That is a future we can not accept!”

Following Trevor was Adam Oakes, National Officer for Construction. Adam took up the theme of mental health saying that there needs to be an honest conversation about the issue, “especially in industries like construction.”

Adam said in construction there is an environment, “where strength is expected, silence is normalised and vulnerability is misunderstood. Workers face pressure to “get on with it” even when they are struggling.

“But mental health is not a weakness, ignoring it is!”

Highlighting the fact that, all too often, counselling services are limited, inaccessible, or simply not offered at all, with workers facing long waits and high costs, Adam said, “Remembering the dead means protecting the living, and recognising mental health is not optional, it is essential.

“Rememberance is not enough. We must act – with compassion, with urgency, and with accountability – so that no one is left to suffer in silence, and no one pays for their labour with their life.”

After the speakers finished two workers from the Wood Wharf site, Steel Fixer **** and Waste Operative ***, laid a wreath at the foot of the Building Workers memorial, further wreaths were added by activists from the Construction Safety Campaign and Thompsons Solicitors.

Attendees then stood for a minute’s silence.

Joining Unite members, reps and officers at the memorial this year, were campaigners from the London Hazards Centre and Covid Action. They were also joined by Jagdish Patel, the Director of PTCR (People’s Training and Research Centre) in Gujarat, India – a voluntary organisation that has been championing workers rights around occupational health and safety since 1986.

Also joining the event this year were Josh Harris and David McCoulough from the Guild Church for Workers at St Katharine Cree in the City. 

Earlier in the morning the church had held a Workers’ Memorial Day Holy Communion, and the pair, who are both members of the Unite Faith Workers Branch and have been working closely with unions to support workers, including cleaners and construction workers, within the City of London.

The memorial finished with the release of black balloons “representing workers who have lost their lives” across the construction sector over the last year.

As the balloons rose over the Tower of London everyone reflected on the need to always remember the dead, but to keep working to fight for the living.

For anyone concerned about a colleague, or worried about their own mental health, Unite runs the Unite Minds campaign which is full of resources and ways to reach out for support.

Photos from the event are below, to find out about other Unite events for IWMD on Unite Live.

By Keith Hatch

Photos by Mark Thomas